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START Takes Another Hit

President Barack Obama’s New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is looking increasingly imperiled – at least for the lame-duck session of Congress.

A day after Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R., Ariz.) said he would not support a vote on the treaty this year, retiring Sen. George Voinovich (R., Ohio) took to the well of the Senate to voice his concerns that Russia could be backsliding toward aggressive territoriality, imperiling the “captive nations” of Eastern Europe.

“Political expediency should never be an excuse to rush to judgment on public policy let alone our national security,” he said. “I cannot in good conscience determine my support for the treaty until the administration assures me our ‘reset policy’ with Russia is a policy that enhances rather than diminishes the national security of our friends and allies throughout Europe.”

Mr. Kyl was the White House’s road to votes among the most conservative Republicans in the Senate, but Mr. Voinovich is a more moderate voice. Failure to win his support could make the 67 votes needed for treaty ratification impossible.